Handling apparatus



Feb. 14, 1939. F, P. PERKINS HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 28,' 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 All - l 1NVENT0R.

AITQRNEY.

Feb 14, 1939 F, P, PERKINS I HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 28, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR.

'r- 7A-Auk ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 14, 1939 y :l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HANDLING APPARATUS Frank vli. Perkins, Waukesha, Wis., assigner to Michael Yundt Company, Waukesha, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application October 28, 1935, Serial No. 46,970

4 Claims. (Cl. 198-31) This invention relates to an improvement in cans to an oiftake conveyor designated generally handling apparatus and especially designed and at O. adapted foi' use in handling cans or similar con- The main COIlVeyOl M COIIlDISe a Suitable Y tainers, as, for example, in handling canned beer number of endless chains 5. Preferably, a plu- 5 during progress of the same through a pasteurizrality of such chains are provided. The links 50 5 ing apparatus. of the chains are interconnected by pivot pins 6 One of the principal objects of the invention is and the PVOl PIIS 6 are PIOVded With Tellers 7 to provide an apparatus of this character which t0 adapt the Chains t0 intermeSh With the teeth se handjes the Cans as to maintain them in propof the driving and idler sprockets designated at 8 10 erly spaced though closely adjacent relation and 9. Each link 5 is provided with an integral flo throughout theiry progress through the machine angularly disposed lug I0 which adapts the links thereby insuring effective .heat interchanging of alined chains for convenient connection with Contact between the pasteurizing liquid and subplate'hke Conveyor elements l2' Each Conveyor stantiany au portions of the cans. element I2 has its transverse edges provided with .1 5 Another object of the invention is to provide oppoiately directed flanges designated at 3 T15 for the draining from the tops of the cans of any and pasteurizing liquid that may have accumulated Thasprocket s at the dlsiha're en,d of n Cm' therein this function being performed automativeyor 1S preferably of consl er? le Sme so a' as cally atv the discharge end 0f the machine the cans move down to the discharge chutes C Other objects and advantages reside in certain ggg rltthmgnan sagylllanatlg; Casid 20 'grolelclgolf (le rlilalran' against the plates I2 andthe flanges I3 by means after more muy ascribed and particularly of retaining strips lladjustably secured to their carrier bars I6 and in any suitable manner.

'25 gingeg gui? llete lpenre Clrlnsnrgfeffrr As will be seen from Figure 2, a plurality of these A .25 me at g t'h CC ,paty g d ,W lijk strips I5 are provided and they overlie the distion to the axis of the sproc e wheel and are pam? m Central. longltudma] Vertlcal 560mm disposed in spaced parallel relation to each other. showing a handhng apparatus embodymg the Adjacent their ends they are secured to carrier `730 3Q PreSFnt mentloa; and bars I6 and II which may be suitably secured and Flame 2 1S a fragmentary plan VIEW 0f the ma' preferably adjustably secured to the frame F. Chme. Shown 1n Flaute 1- The upper ends of the strips I5 may be upturned It Should be understood that the handling aD- as at ls to facilitate passage of the cans thereparams embOdYng the Present iYlVeltiOn iS de' under. During the cans travel under the strips '35 A signed for use with pasteurizing machinery. One they are free to move with the Conveyor but may type Of Such. DaSteuriZing machine iS fully ShOWIl not fall away from their plates I2 or depart from and deSCIbed in my pending aDDlCatiOH fOI' COTI- their right angular relation thereto until they Veyng machinery, led September 1, 1933, Serial clear the lower end of the strips and by this time 40 No. 687,814, Patent 2,131,816 issued Oct. 4, 1938. any Water that may have been trapped between 40 Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the upper rim of the can and the top thereof will the present invention comprises a suitable frame have spilt over the rim. Furthermore, the cans designated generally at F and which may be of are prevented from becoming tangled or mixed any suitable construction. Mounted on the frame and consequently jamming and are maintained in is an endless main conveyor designated generally position to be received by the chutes C' and con- 45 at M. While the articles are on the main conveyed thereby to the receivers R ofthe offtake veyor they are subjected to treatment with the conveyor O. pasteurizing liquid by any suitable means (not For the purpose of supplying the cans in propshown). The cans are supplied to the main erly spaced relation to the plate-like elements I2 conveyor from a supply or feed conveyor C which ofthe main conveyor, the spacing device D is 50 has associated therewith a spacing device D and A associated with the feed conveyor C as above intransfer means T for effecting transfer of the dicated. This device includes a notched spacing cans from the feed conveyor to the main condisc 20 and may be constructed and operated in veyor. At the discharge end of the main conthe manner fully disclosed in my pending appliveyor, chutes C are provided which convey the cation above referred to. 55

Between the feed conveyor C and the main conveyor M is a fixed bridge plate P suitably secured to members of the frame F.

For transferring the cans while in properly spaced relation from the feed conveyor across the bridge plate P to the main conveyor a pusher y bar 25 is provided and has one edge provided with can receiving notches 26 which coact with the cans when the pusher bar is swung to the right as viewed in Figures 1 and 2 to move the cans across the bridge plate P while maintaining their proper spaced relation. The pusher bar 26 is secured to the upper ends of angularly shaped rods 21 xed to a rock shaft 28. The rock shaft 28 has an arm 29 secured thereto and provided with a roller 30 coacting with an operating cam 3| actuated in synchronism with the conveyors to operate the pusher bar 25 at the proper time.

It is preferable that retaining strips l be so spaced relative to each other andV to notches 26 on the pusher bar 25 that the peaks between the notches are substantially in alignment with a respective strip l5. With this relationship each of the cans of the respective longitudinal row will contact adjacent strips as the cans move through the arcuate path at the discharge end as is indicated in Figure 2. The central portion of the top of the cans is thereby positioned to ride in between the adjacent strips and the spacing between the strips provides means permitting ready discharge of any water trapped in the top of the can as the can swings from vertical to substantially horizontal position in its movement about the discharge end.

With an apparatus of the character described, the cans are fed in properly spaced relation transversely to the main conveyor. On the main conveyor this transverse spacing is maintained this construction has been selected merely for the purpose of illustration or example, and that various changes in the size, Vshape and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus of the character described comprising 4a conveyor consisting of driving and idler sprockets, endless chains trained around said sprockets, transverse plate-like conveyor elelments secured to the links of said chains and provided with upwardly extending edge anges to maintain articles thereon in proper spaced relation longitudinally of the conveyor, and curved retaining strips concentric with one of said sprockets and spaced to the adjacent portions of the endless chains and cooperable with articles carried on the conveyor to retain the` articles in position as they move downwardly around one of the sprockets.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising a conveyor including sprocket wheels, an endless iiexible element trained about said sprocket wheels, plate-like conveyor elements secured to said endless elements and extending transversely thereof, anges on edges of the plate-like conveyor elements and retainer strips concentric with one of the sprockets and spaced from the conveyor and cooperable with the edge ilanges to retain articles on the conveyor supported on the plate-like elements while tilted with respect to the horizontal.4

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising an endless conveyor trained around sprockets at each end thereof, a pusher bar provided with a series of notches and intermediate peaks, said pusher bar adapted to push articles onto one end of said conveyor in transverse rows in which each article is spaced from an adjacent article, and a plurality of curved retaining strips concentric with the sprocket at the other end of said conveyor and spaced therefrom to cooperate with the articles carried on said conveyor to retain the articles in position as they move downwardly around said last mentioned end, said retaining strips being spaced one from lthe other and positioned in substantial longitudinal alignment with said peaks.

4. An apparatus of the character described comprising an endless main conveyor, a transfer pusher bar at one end of said conveyor provided with means adapted to transfer articles to said main conveyor in transverse rows in which the articles comprising the row are spaced relative to each other, and curved retaining strips at the other end of said conveyor and adapted to cooperate with the articles as they move around said last mentioned end, said strips being spaced relative to each other and related to said pusher bar in such manner that the spacing between said strips is in substantial alignment with the center of each respective article positioned on said conveyor by said pusher bar.

FRANK P. PERICINS. 

